Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

Posted: 10/25/10

Namco Bandai delivers latest in the Ultimate Ninja series with Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Though its predecessor was a PS3 exclusive this sequel is dashing onto multiple platforms, delivering the same stunning visuals as the first Ultimate Ninja Storm. Does it have all the moves of a ninja master, or is it back to the training field for more practice?

Like its prequel, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a loose adaptation of the Naruto series. You'll cover all of the major story arcs from Shippuden, and for the most part, it's a great recap, though it takes a few shortcuts. You'll follow Naruto's tale as he returns from his three years of training with his sensei, ready to combat the dire threat of Akatsuki, an evil band seeking to wreak havoc on the ninja world. You'll also jump into Sasuke's shoes, overcoming Orochimaru's grasp and seeking revenge against his older brother Itachi.

The story's kept fresh thanks to the great cinematic sequences, and fans will enjoy walking down the familiar path. It's also comprehensive enough to hold newcomers' attention, and despite the archetypes and clichés, Shippuden's tale is a good one.

The path of the ninja is divided into two major components: a lengthy single-player story mode and a versus mode that supports both local and online multiplayer matches. You can dive right into either from the get-go, but you're limited to a paltry selection of fighters in the versus mode until you unlock others. This can be accomplished by grinding through versus battles, but unlocking them by playing through the story allows you to actually have fun in the process.

Naruto's journey in the story mode is a high point in the series. It addresses all the shortcomings of the previous entry, providing a solid set of primary activities complimented by numerous meaningful side objectives. It's a focused effort, promoting a linear progression while still offering enough incentive to explore and branch off down various paths. All of it can be completed at your own pace, though some stuff is withheld until specific triggering events. The story sequences and boss encounters are the biggest highlight, hurling you into amazing cinematic battles will not cease to impress.

For the first time in the Ultimate Ninja series, versus mode supports online battles. It's a much welcome addition, and the setup is simple, borrowing from other established fighters. You can engage in ranked matches to earn bragging rights, or compete recreationally in standard matches to hone your skills in either one-on-one or team-based battles. There are some latency issues in general holding it back from being too serious of a fighter, but it's fun enough nonetheless. The setup is also a bit simplistic when compared to its contemporaries with fewer overall options.

Though the multiplayer component isn't quite at the level it should be, the single player element more than makes up for this. The only other drawback is the load times at certain points, which are noticeably long even if you install the game.

With an adventure that will last you around 15 hours--or even double that if you count all the side objectives and hidden content--Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 doesn't disappoint when it comes to comprehensiveness.

Just like its predecessor's, Ultimate Ninja 2's controls are very simple and easy to grasp. Combat involves utilizing basic movements, physical attacks, secondary weapons, and special abilities that tap into your chakra meter. Then there's an additional layer in team battle situations; players can pick up to two support characters and call them into battle as assists, which ups the strategy element. While it might seem like there's less depth to the system, it's really only on the execution end where things are watered down.

There are also elaborate quick-time events during the cinematic boss encounters. They're there to reward players who are quick with their fingers, but it doesn't penalize you too harshly for failure; should you happen to miss an input, you simply restart that specific sequence almost immediately. These encounters also mix in real-time combat as well, either in the form of a traditional battle, or a unique event that changes up the mechanics completely.

Beyond fighting, you have few activities to occupy your spare time. A few side objectives play out like minigames, but for the most part, you'll be mostly running back and forth between locations. There's a disappointing lack of emphasis on platforming or using your special abilities in the field, something that figured prominently in the previous game. Jumping is merely a superficial mechanic outside of combat that could have easily been put to better use. Ultimately though, the lack of interesting traversal mechanics is not a deal breaker by any means, as there's still plenty of action to keep you engaged.

The first Ultimate Ninja Storm was a visual treat, but the sequel raises the bar considerably. Few games out there succeed in looking so faithful to their source material. It succeeds in not only recreating the feel of the cartoon, but in some instances outclasses it. Initially, the use of 2D backgrounds for some of the world environment is a bit jarring with all the 3D character models, but the technique grows on you as you start to see more clever uses of it. The original soundtrack is fitting, though it would have benefitted from using some of the licensed music from the show. Punches and kicks land with resounding impact, and the solid voice work comes in both English and Japanese.

Ultimate Nina Storm 2 is definitely an improvement for the series, faithfully utilizing its source material to create a fun, striking game. The online multiplayer is still a work in progress for the series, and while not all revisions are for the better, there's plenty of content stashed into the package to make it a worthwhile pick up.

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